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Heathcot by far has the best tools and highest ceiling of anyone in the system. He has very similar tools to Trout, not saying he will ever turn into that. If he stays healthy it wouldn't surprise me if he over took Williams as our best prospect.

As far as the rankings i'm a little surprised that BA had Depaula 10th, they have been raving about him for a while and another very credible prospect site who just released their top 50 Yankee prospect rankings had him 6th, the only pitcher he was behind was banuelos. Mark Newman also raved about him and his stuff , ceiling and work ethic in a recent interview. IMO stuff wise he's way ahead of Campos

I think Campos is underrated, but man, we have three studs in Campos, DePaula and Hensley, plus a few others. Also, apparently DePaula is making the jump straight to high-A next year, I forget where I read that, but hopefully he lights it up.

I think Campos is underrated, but man, we have three studs in Campos, DePaula and Hensley, plus a few others. Also, apparently DePaula is making the jump straight to high-A next year, I forget where I read that, but hopefully he lights it up.

from the scouting reports i ve read i would be shocked if Depaula didn't light up high A, 93-97 with good late life on the 4 seam, low 90's 2 seam thats rapidly improving a plus plus hammer CB, solid CU and a developing slider. IMO he has the highest ceiling of any of our pitchers
Although Hensley might give him a run for his money as he develops

i was checking out some scouting reports that were released after instructs, we really have some solid pitching depth coming out of the DSL and SS leagues that we ve signed or drafted since 2010, both LHed and Rhed. The other thing that really surprised me is that we have 3-4 promising SS prospects coming up from the DSL, that all profile alot better that Culver.

The top levels of our system aren't anything special but my goodness do we have an absolute ton of talent from high A all the way down to the DSL leagues. So much so that Newman said in a recent interview they are looking to add another minor league team stateside so all the pitchers and positions they are loaded at like C, SS, 2b, and the Of will get a good amount of playing time.

I really hope this new MILB pitching cordinator we got from the A's will get better results with all the talent we have than Nardi did

i would disagtee with the whole farm free falling, I would bet a large majority of our pre season points came from Bettances, Banuelos, Romine and depending on when the list was done Montero. We also had so bad injuries to guys like Campos, Gumbs and others that seriously affected their end of season rankings

Overall we had some very big success with guys like Williams, Sanchez, Austin and later on Heathcott. We also had some younger guys take huge steps forward in their development. Also we have a massive amount of talent in the lower levels that has yet to be reflected in the rankings. With a good yr from our current players and the additional draft picks were likely to recieve were likely to be a top -10 system next yr

i would disagtee with the whole farm free falling, I would bet a large majority of our pre season points came from Bettances, Banuelos, Romine and depending on when the list was done Montero. We also had so bad injuries to guys like Campos, Gumbs and others that seriously affected their end of season rankings

Overall we had some very big success with guys like Williams, Sanchez, Austin and later on Heathcott. We also had some younger guys take huge steps forward in their development. Also we have a massive amount of talent in the lower levels that has yet to be reflected in the rankings. With a good yr from our current players and the additional draft picks were likely to recieve were likely to be a top -10 system next yr

You would know better than me......I'm just forwarding links from things I read.

But my concern would be that low level prospects don't carry much weight. With basically nothing in AA or AAA this year, the farm is bare.

Sure, it may fill up the upper levels in a few years, but the status quo isn't very valuable for trades on our MLB team.

Leo's Thought Of The Day

Statistics are used much like a drunk uses a lamppost: for support, not illumination.

On Friday we looked into the breakout candidate Greg Bird. Today we look at a pitcher who could break out in a major way next season. A breakout candidate is slightly different than a sleeper. A sleeper is someone who is not expected by most to have a big season, but performs above expectations for one reason or another. Last year Matt Tracy was a popular choice, and he did not disappoint. A breakout candidate is someone who you predict will emerge as a prospect and gain attention. The former is production based, and the ladder is performance and tools based.

One could make the argument that Corey Black has already made a lot of noise in his big league debut. He advanced through three levels this year in his first minor league season, finishing in Charleston. In 52.2 innings this season, he had a 3.08 ERA and 50 strikeouts, while walking 15 (2.6 BB/9). He let up just one homerun the entire season. Slightly less than half of his innings last season were in Low-A, but he struck out 29 batters in just 23.1 innings. He had a 3.80 ERA in those innings. In Charleston at the age of 20, he is still young enough that the Yankees can afford to take their time with him.

Somehow, equipped with a 99 mph fastball and an excellent rookie performance, Black has still managed to slip under the radar. One of the reasons is undoubtedly the astounding depth of pitching in the lower minors of this system. He simply has gotten lost in the shuffle. Ranked just 42nd by Rob Abruzzese and I, most pundits don’t go beyond the top 30 in their rankings. The most aggressive ranking I have seen is 26, and even that is an aggressive ranking for him.

The stuff is definitely there. While at 5-foot-11 he doesn’t have much projection left in the tank velocity wise, he’s already got the 99 mph fastball. Projection is not the issue. On top of this fastball, he has a stellar changeup which is already major league above average. Those two pitches alone are good enough for him to be a successful major league reliever. Couple that with his penchant for control and hitting the “black,” and there might be even more to this pitcher.

Black is currently working on a curve ball and a slider as well. If he is able to hone his skills on either one of those pitches, he has number two or even ace potential. He hasn’t been marketed as a possible number one yet, but anytime you sport a 99 mph fastball and a plus changeup, the word ace has to come up in conversation. The Yankees and Nardi Contreras have become known for successfully teaching the curveball and slider, so this may just be a slam dunk. I’m sure that most of his offseason will be dedicated to sharpening these two pitches. If he’s successful, there’s no limit to how far he can go.

Leo's Thought Of The Day

Statistics are used much like a drunk uses a lamppost: for support, not illumination.

On Friday we looked into the breakout candidate Greg Bird. Today we look at a pitcher who could break out in a major way next season. A breakout candidate is slightly different than a sleeper. A sleeper is someone who is not expected by most to have a big season, but performs above expectations for one reason or another. Last year Matt Tracy was a popular choice, and he did not disappoint. A breakout candidate is someone who you predict will emerge as a prospect and gain attention. The former is production based, and the ladder is performance and tools based.

One could make the argument that Corey Black has already made a lot of noise in his big league debut. He advanced through three levels this year in his first minor league season, finishing in Charleston. In 52.2 innings this season, he had a 3.08 ERA and 50 strikeouts, while walking 15 (2.6 BB/9). He let up just one homerun the entire season. Slightly less than half of his innings last season were in Low-A, but he struck out 29 batters in just 23.1 innings. He had a 3.80 ERA in those innings. In Charleston at the age of 20, he is still young enough that the Yankees can afford to take their time with him.

Somehow, equipped with a 99 mph fastball and an excellent rookie performance, Black has still managed to slip under the radar. One of the reasons is undoubtedly the astounding depth of pitching in the lower minors of this system. He simply has gotten lost in the shuffle. Ranked just 42nd by Rob Abruzzese and I, most pundits donít go beyond the top 30 in their rankings. The most aggressive ranking I have seen is 26, and even that is an aggressive ranking for him.

The stuff is definitely there. While at 5-foot-11 he doesnít have much projection left in the tank velocity wise, heís already got the 99 mph fastball. Projection is not the issue. On top of this fastball, he has a stellar changeup which is already major league above average. Those two pitches alone are good enough for him to be a successful major league reliever. Couple that with his penchant for control and hitting the ďblack,Ē and there might be even more to this pitcher.

Black is currently working on a curve ball and a slider as well. If he is able to hone his skills on either one of those pitches, he has number two or even ace potential. He hasnít been marketed as a possible number one yet, but anytime you sport a 99 mph fastball and a plus changeup, the word ace has to come up in conversation. The Yankees and Nardi Contreras have become known for successfully teaching the curveball and slider, so this may just be a slam dunk. Iím sure that most of his offseason will be dedicated to sharpening these two pitches. If heís successful, thereís no limit to how far he can go.

The New York Yankees signed Anyelo Gomez-RHP by the end of the DPL POWER SHOWCASE Tournament. Anyelo is 19 years old, 6’3″, 175lb from Cotui DR. He’s a short arm’er with some effort in his delivery; his FB sits 89-92 mph with deception and occasionally down hill life with a feel for Curve and Change. Gomez has the arm strength and size that project him to be a serviceable arm in the Yankees system. Congrats to Julio Delacruz, NY Yankees and the Gomez family!

I don't really agree with that scouting report on Black. While he can hit 99, that doesn't mean he sits there. His fastball sits 92-94 usually and while he does show good command of his fastball his secondary pitches need a lot of work. I'm a fan of his and hope he does well but that scouting report posted above was very optimistic. He throws a good change-up but its no where near a plus pitch.

I think he's a potential reliever unless either his curve or slider become better pitches. Both are pretty poor at the moment.

I don't really agree with that scouting report on Black. While he can hit 99, that doesn't mean he sits there. His fastball sits 92-94 usually and while he does show good command of his fastball his secondary pitches need a lot of work. I'm a fan of his and hope he does well but that scouting report posted above was very optimistic. He throws a good change-up but its no where near a plus pitch.

I think he's a potential reliever unless either his curve or slider become better pitches. Both are pretty poor at the moment.

just my opinion but it awfully early to be projecting what a kid drafted this yr is going to be. He does have some definate power in his arm but besides that theirs alot of work to be done. I'll be far more interested in seeing what he looks like at the end of next yr when he's had a chance to work with our new minor league pitching coach.